Prep Rolls Defending State Champion West Jones
Jackson Prep became the latest MAIS school to knock off a defending MHSAA state champion, as they dominated 6A titleholders West Jones in a 42-7 victory on Friday night.
The Patriots led from wire-to-wire, snapping a 19-game winning streak for West Jones and making waves throughout the state.
“We knew (about the winning streak), we played down there last year and they had a super team,” Jackson Prep Head Coach Doug Goodwin said. “They really do an awesome job over there and I have a lot of respect for them.”
Jackson Prep took a 21-6 loss in last year’s matchup at West Jones.
The Jackson Prep defense was one of the key factors in this one, holding West Jones to one touchdown on the night, with that one score coming after the Patriots got out to a 42-0 lead. The Patriot defense also held West Jones to 172 total yards for the game.
“Our defense tackled really well and played really well,” Goodwin said. “They have two really good running backs and I think we did a really good job of containing them, so I’m really proud of our defense.”
While the Patriot offense was fairly balanced with three touchdowns on the ground and three on the air, Jackson Prep quarterback Parker Puckett was the catalyst for the offense, throwing for 211 yards and three touchdowns.
“I really just have a lot of trust and really good chemistry with my receivers,” Puckett said. “We had a bad taste in our mouth from last year when we played them and didn’t score a touchdown.”
Puckett has been one of the best and most underrated quarterbacks in the state this season, leading a Jackson Prep team that is averaging 40.4 points per game and is now 7-0 on the year.
“I think he is the most overlooked quarterback in the state of Mississippi and I think he’s probably the best quarterback in the state of Mississippi,” Goodwin said. “He does an awesome job, he’s really smart, he throws the ball well, he’s accurate and he has all the intangibles you would want.”
This was one of the tougher teams on Jackson Prep’s non-district schedule, which will prepare the Patriots for matchups against other teams at the top of the MAIS 6A standings like MRA and defending champions Hartfield Academy, who Prep lost against in the title game last year.
“I’ve been working our receivers ever since we lost the championship last year,” Puckett said. “This was our first real test to see where we are and it’s a boost of confidence for sure, but we can’t get too high or too low after any game.”
Looking ahead, the Patriots will host Presbyterian Christian next week, before those huge matchups on the road against Hartfield Academy and at home against MRA in back-to-back weeks. The Patriots will round out their regular season schedule on the road against St. Joseph on the road.